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DW
6 days ago
- DW
What is the answer to overtourism? – DW – 06/03/2025
Many popular holiday destinations are struggling from the environmental impact of huge visitor numbers. How can it be tackled? Tourism is booming all over the world. Last year there were around 1.5 billion holiday makers, setting the second highest ever record after 2019. From Gran Canaria, to Mallorca and Rome, many population destinations are now overcrowded with visitors. Overtourism describes the excessive, and often simultaneous, rush of vacationers to one place. According to the UN World Tourism Organization it is usually defined as the point at which locals or visitors feel tourism has negatively impacted the quality of life in a region to an unacceptable degree. All of this applies to the seven Canary Islands. The archipelago in the Atlantic, home to 2.2 million locals, hosted a total of 15.2 million visitors last year — and a new record is expected this year. While tourism accounts for more than a third of the islands' economy, it is mainly large investors that profit, according to local groups. Rents are exploding, the environment is suffering and living space for the local population is becoming scarce as property owners capitalize on lucrative short-term rentals. How does overtourism impact the environment? Overtourism magnifies the existing problems of heavy tourism and often stretches infrastructure and local resources to their limit. Noise, littering, drones flying through the air to take holiday snaps, and traffic jams are just a few of the less pleasant aspects of surges in visitors. Landscapes are often altered by additional footpaths or new parking lots catering to visitors, disrupting the local flora and fauna. Tourism threatens water resources, especially on islands and in warm regions as vacationers, especially those that are wealthy, generally consume more water than locals. Waste water is also often a problem. For example, the wastewater discharged into the sea off the popular Spanish Balearic island of Majorca has caused underwater seagrass beds, important helpers against the climate crisis, to shrink considerably. In May, 2025, locals on Tenerife protested overtourism on the Canary Islands Image: Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu/picture alliance Is overtourism fueling the climate crisis? Emissions from tourism increased by 65% between 1995 and 2019 and it is today responsible for 8-10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Air travel is the main driver of its growing climate impact. While flying accounts for a quarter of all vacation trips, it is responsible for three quarters of tourism emissions. Added to this are emissions from local transportation, accommodation and leisure activities. The general rise in travel often leads to overtourism: if more people are traveling, particularly popular destinations become more crowded. Short trips are becoming more popular. Last year, Germans alone took around 94 million short trips — an increase of almost a quarter compared to the previous year. This type of travel is particularly damaging to the climate, as the largest proportion of tourists' CO2 emissions comes from the journey to and from a destination. More short trips equals more arrivals and departures, and this means more emissions. What causes overtourism? According to the Swiss non-profit organization fairunterwegs, air travel has a particularly influential role in driving overtourism. They say the existence of nearby airports, particularly if they are served by low-cost airlines, encourages the emergence of overtourism. Mallorca, for example, would probably not be as popular if people had to travel there by ship. However cruise ships are also criticized for exacerbating the problem. Cruise ship tourists tend to go ashore for only a few hours, putting a strain on local infrastructure and contributing relatively little to the local economy, as they are usually fully catered for on board. Visitors to Hallstatt, Austria, have boomed since it was featured in popular TV series Image: JFK/EXPA/ alliance And then there is the phenomenon of so-called set-jetting. The film locations of popular TV series often lead to a huge spike in visitor numbers. On Maui and Sicily, the filming locations for the US series "The White Lotus", the number of guests has risen by 20% on both islands. Dubrovnik in Croatia, where much of Game of Thrones was filmed, is also suffering from overtourism. In Hallstatt, Austria, a local initiative is fighting against the impact of a tourism surge, likely driven by the picturesque town being featured in the South Korean Netflix series "Spring Waltz". Can overtourism be prevented? Some cities and regions are trying to limit the number of travelers at certain times or altogether. In Venice, day tourists have to pay up to €10 and Lisbon charges cruise ship operators €2 for every disembarking passenger. Tenerife is restricting access to the summit of the Pico del Teide volcano to 300 visitors per day. Paris has moved to limit the number of days per year locals can rent out their main residence via platforms such as Airbnb, while Thailand is closing the popular Similan and Surin Islands this year until autumn to allow local ecosystems to recover and is planning to charge entrance fees in future. In addition to access restrictions and higher taxes on overnight stays, visitor flows are also being managed through digital booking systems that help avoid queues in front of monuments or museums. Some tourism hotspots are also promoting attractions outside city centers. Copenhagen is trying a different approach by instead rewarding more climate-friendly travellers, with those arriving by train able to access free rental bikes, yoga lessons, guided tours and reduced admission prices. This article was first published in German.
Extra.ie
19-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Irish holidaymakers trapped as tourism protests rock the Canary Islands
Thousands of Canary Islanders took to the streets yesterday in protest over tourism in the region. In Tenerife, one local carried a placard with the slogan: 'My misery is your paradise.' Another said the archipelago 'is no longer a paradise' thanks to tourists. Thousands of holidaymakers, including Irish, are currently visiting the islands, where demonstrations began at 11 am, with many tourists not daring to leave their accommodation, despite the presence of dozens of armed police. Protests are taking place across the Canary Islands. Pic: Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu via Getty Images One, from Ireland, said he was too scared to leave his Airbnb. Alberto Babo, 32, said: 'I didn't go out today due to the protests, I'm stuck in my Airbnb to avoid the crowds. 'I hope they are not violent or anything, but just to be safe, I'm here. All I can hear is the noise.' The din was from people blowing on shells, banging drums and chanting, with slogans including: 'El dinero del turismo, donde está?', meaning 'The money from tourism, where is it?' One placard being carried in the crowd read: 'Stop excessive tourism. This is our home.' Protests are taking place across the Canary Islands. Pic: Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu via Getty Images Another said 'tourists swim in s***', referencing the large amount of sewage water that is dumped into the sea – the majority of it, activists say, coming from hotels and tourist accommodation. Other placards in Spanish said: 'Don't sell your homes to guiris!' Guiri is a Spanish slang word for tourists. Solidarity protests are also taking place in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. The Canary Islands have a population of 2.2 million people, but welcome about 18 million holidaymakers each year, which locals say is placing a strain on resources. Activists are calling for a cap on the number of tourists to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion. Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes, and the immediate demolition of projects already declared illegal. Among the protesters was Paula McKnight Morales, 39, whose father is from the US but who grew up on the islands. The swimming instructor said: 'Spain has become the after-party for Europe, and Tenerife has more tourists per year than Brazil. 'We don't have room. Since our historic protest last year, the government has done nothing; they have actually increased the number of tourists coming, and we don't have enough room. 'The number of Airbnbs is too high, and there is nowhere to rent; it is catastrophic for the island.' Reporting by Laurence Dollimore
The Irish Sun
23-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Spain ‘don't come' warning for Irish tourists as locals vow to ramp up summer protests in ‘too many people' cry
IRISH tourists have been told not to holiday in the Canary Islands, with "tired and angry" locals claiming the sun spots are too overcrowded. Anti-tourism protesters in Tenerife vowed to 3 Hotel and hospitality workers held a strike in Tenerife last week Credit: EPA/Alberto Valdes 3 Some 80,000 people joined Tenerife protests on April 20 last year Credit: Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu via Getty Images The Canary Islands include several destinations popular with Irish tourists, from And although last year's protests were timed to occur before peak tourist season - demonstrators have Organisers said 80,000 people had joined in Tenerife protests alone on April 20 last year. In October, protestors in Tenerife READ MORE IN TRAVEL Locals hit out at the government for their "lack of action" following the demonstrations, which Demonstrators once again Thousands of people Activists also bragged they were Most read in News Travel Those partaking in the protests claim that holidaymakers have impacted housing, the environment and roads for locals - as well as peace and quiet in towns. Thousands of anti-tourist protesters flood Spanish hols hotspots & call on mob to super glue holiday rental locks Ivan Cerdena Molina, an activist within the protest movement and a member of local environmental group ATAN, voiced his frustration that despite the protests, the tourist number is increasing each year. He said: "We had 16 million tourists [in the Canaries] in 2023 and 18 million in 2024. In 2025, the number is increasing again. "The government didn't do anything; it just spoke nice words with no real action. 'WE CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE' "The situation is really critical, no one who wants to enjoy holidays with peace would come to a collapsed and congested island, it's simple there are too many people everywhere. "Local people are really tired and angry, they are showing it. "If we can ask something, it would be, please don't come, we cannot take it anymore." Molina, along with other campaigners, has confirmed that more protests will kick off as we move into the summer months. A statement issued on May 18 under the banner "the Canaries have a limit" declared that activists are escalating their tactics. FIRST PROTESTS SPAIN'S first anti-tourism protests of the year kicked off with vigour on April 5, after thousands of anti-tourism protesters flooded the streets of over 40 cities in Spain. Protests followed on from a series of Canary island beach workers also Unions said they wanted to alert holidaymakers to the possible effects of the strike but asked them not to cancel their plans. They also said they didn't want tourists to change their image of the Canaries as a good holiday destination. Protesters across Spain on April 5 were urged by anti-tourism activists to The main issue addressed at the protest was the lack of affordable homes, which locals say has been caused by the rise in Airbnb rentals and apartments. An The letter read: "ENOUGH! STAY HOME! We do not need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem. DO NOT COME." The group vowed to "take our fight to the very spaces where their predatory model is perpetuated" by sabotaging public events, facing-off with political figures, and taking over symbolic tourist attractions. The statement read: "We are the Canarian people - a people who will not give up until we achieve the change we deserve. "On May 18, the fight continues in the streets. What comes next will be impossible to ignore." The group said demonstrations are to start in Tenerife on May 18 at 11am from the Plaza Weyler in the capital tourist hotspot of Santa Cruz. 3 Protesters marched on Las Americas beach during a demonstration in Tenerife last year Credit: Getty Images
Korea Herald
22-04-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
The Role of Treg Epitopes (Tregitopes) in Antibody Maturation Uncovered in New EpiVax Study: Implications for Therapeutic Antibodies
PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax, Inc. announces a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology unveiling the impact of peptides known as "Tregitopes" on antibody maturation during immune response. Lymph nodes contain antibodies that undergo changes to their sequence as they adapt to their immune target, such as a flu virus. As this happens, the content of regulatory T cell (Treg) epitope sequences (also called Tregitopes) in the antibodies appears to decrease, which enables the B cells to expand and persist. The study, " Regulatory T Cell Epitope Content in Human Antibodies Decreases During Maturation", was conducted by Andres Gutierrez, PhD and Annie De Groot, MD of EpiVax, using existing antibody sequence data. "This work provides important insights into how antibodies evolve over time, not just in terms of affinity, but in their ability to engage with the immune system." said Dr. Gutierrez. The discovery of Tregitopes in 2008 marked a shift in awareness about the function of natural Tregs in human and animal immunity. Tregitopes may explain, in part, the tolerogenic impact of IV immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG). Tregitope-like peptides have since been found in other self-proteins. A prior analysis of human antibody repertoires demonstrated that T cell epitopes decreased with increasing antibody maturation. However, that study didn't separate regulatory from effector T cell epitope dynamics. In this study, researchers examined antibody repertoires from four healthy human donors. They assessed three subsets of T cell epitopes: previously validated Tregitopes, potentially tolerated T cell epitopes and potential effector T cell epitopes. Findings revealed that as antibodies mature and have higher affinity for their target antigen, Tregitope content systematically decreases, while potential effector T cell epitope content increases. This suggests that Tregitope depletion is a fundamental feature of antibody evolution. The observation was confirmed by testing some of the 'natural' and 'modified' Tregitope sequences in vitro. "This mechanism is likely relevant to immunity from pathogens, to the development of autoantibodies during autoimmune disease, and for the selection of therapeutic antibody candidates", said Dr. De Groot. "We are pleased to contribute this finding to the literature on immune regulation and antibody design." About EpiVax EpiVax is a leader in preclinical immunogenicity assessment and sequence optimization for therapeutics and vaccines. EpiVax collaborates with globally recognized partners to accelerate immunogenicity risk assessment, immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design.
